Boat operated by motive vehicles



July 27, 1943. o MlLLER 2,325,532

BOAT OPERATED BY MOTIVE VEHICLES Filed Dec. 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

OTTO H. M/L LER July 27, 1943. o. H. MILLER 2,325,532

BOAT OPERATED BY MOTIVE VEHICLES Filed Dec. 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

OTTO H. lW/LLER flTTORNEy July 27, 1943. o. H. MILLER BOAT OPERATED BY MOTIVE VEHICLES Filed Dec. 12, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. OTTO H. NJ/LZER A TTO/QNEY Patented July 27, 1943 'i UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE 2,325,532 *noA r OPERATED BY Mo'rIv'is VEHICLES V out H. Miller, Union City, NJ. I spplieat q necember 12, 1941, Serial No. 422,655 I 7 (01.- 115-05)- 3 Claims.

This invention relates to boats operated by motive vehicles. 7 p I An object of this invention is to provide a boat in theform of .a. float onto which an automobile or othermotive vehicle may be run, means being provided to connect the vehicle to the boat and for propelling the boat by power generated in the vehicle motor. y I Iii-accordance with the present invention, an automobile or other motivevehicle may be run onto the fioat,:-the rear wheels of the vehicle removed, and the vehicle jacked up. Connectors are then attached to the rear axle .of the vehicle and to parts on the boat for operating propellers on the boat. so that the propellers are rotatedthrough power generatedin the motor of the vehicle, and under the control of the operator sitting in the usual operators seat in the vehicle. V.

, Yeha further object of, this invention is to provide eans connectible to the front axleyof the vehicle, whereby the ,float may be steered by the steering wheel of. the vehicle.

Yet another object of thisinvention is to provide a durable boatoperated by a vehicle motor, which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate,- and yet practical and efiicient to a highdegree in use. I 7

Other objects of this'invention will in part beobvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplifled in the construction hereinafter described, and'of which the scope of application will be indicated in the: following claims. to

In the accompanying, drawings, in which 'is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. dis a cross-sectional View tak en online Fig. is a partial elevational view of the coupling memberfor" the rear axle. I V

Referring now in detail tothe drawings l0 designates a body or float adapted to be, operated by the motor of an automobile or other motive vehicle ll.;The boat i0 is in the form of a float or tank I2 comprising a flat bottom ,reinforcedon the inside by reinforcing flanges 20 of any suitable type.

, The top wall l8 maybe provided with a pair of longitudinally depressed portions 22 serving as a runway for the vehicle to guide the vehicle onto the float. ,Any suitable railings 24 may be provided on top of the float.

The vehicle H is run forwardly onto thefioat until it contacts stops 30 at the front of the float. The automobile is then in position for connection to parts of the boat, as will appear herein- ..after. i

Means is provided .to jack up the vehicle so that the rear wheels may be removed. To this end, the top wall l8 of the tankis formed with a pair. of vertical sleeves located beneath the rear axle 33 of the .vehicle.f Slidably and nonrotatably mounted within the openings 32 are internally screw threaded 'jack members 34 adapted to engage beneath the rear axles. Rotatably mounted within the bearings 35, located in bottom wall of the tank, and directly beneath the sleeves 32, are vertical screw members 36, the upper ends whereof have screw threaded engagement within the jack members 34. Thus,

rotation of. thelscrew members 36 will cause the jacks 34 to risefor lifting up the rear end of the car. i

Mounted on suitable bearings 31 within the tank is a horizontal shaft 38 carrying'worms 39 meshing with worm Wheels 40 on the screws .36. At the ends of shaft 38 are beveled gears 42L .Rotatably mounted in bearings 43 within the tank are vertical shafts 44 carrying at their lower ends beveled gears 45 meshing with the Y beveled gears 42 i The upper ends 41 of shafts 4 4 are polygonal, and the top wall l8 recessed so that a wrench .may beappliedto said polygonal heads for rotating theshafts 44. Thus, by rotating either one of the shafts ,both jacks 34 will rise or fall depending upon the direction of rotation. The front axle of the vehicle may be lifted likewise by similar jacks 340. located beneath the front axle and slidable in sleeves in the top wall I8 receiving the screw threads of vertical shafts 36a journalledwithin'the tank. I The-screw shafts 36a likewise carry worm wheels 40a meshing with worms 39a on a cross the arms 8!,

, 'p'earing.

Means is provided for propelling the float by M i the motor of the vehicle. To this end, the float is provided with a pair of horizontal longitudinally extending propeller shafts" carrying propellers 5| located at the rearof the float- .At the front ends of shaft 50 are beveled gears 52; J ournalled within the tank are a pair ofhorizona tal aligned transverse shafts 53,.carrying beveled gears 54 meshing with the beveled gears 52. At the outer ends of shaft 53 are beveled gears 56. Journalled within the tank are vertical shafts "51 carrying beveled gears 58 at their lower ends meshing with the beveled gears 55. s 7 On topj of the tank are brackets 59" through which the upper ends of the vertical shaft 51 extend. At the upper endof shafts 5'8" are beveled gears 58. The brackets 59car'ry offset armslil in which are journalled stud shafts BZ carrying beveled gears 53 meshing with the beveled gears 66. Connected toshaft52 is a universal connection 63a from which there extends a shortshaft 64 of non-circular cross-section,

' Slidablymounted on each shaft '54 is are- 8 cessed disc 55. The recessed disc has a central non-circular opening lifi'slidably receiving the shaft M. The recessed disc 65 is formed witha-n annular flange Bl 'adaptedto' contact thedrurnon the rear axles of the vehicle. 'IThe disc BE ma'y be attached to the drum by means of the stud screws 58 by which 'the wheelsare 'usually atta'ched'to the'drum. V j

, It will nowbeiunderstoodithat' when the motor vehicle is operated, the power will be transmitted through the differential to the drums, discs 65, shaft (54; vertical shafts. 51, horizontal shaft 53 and propeller shaft 50. .7

" It will be noted that when the'disc 65 isdev 1 tached from the drum,'it may be slidably moved- 1 on shaft 64, and'said shaft may then be'swung upwardly out of the way, to the'dotted. line po- "sition shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

It willnow be understood that the operator sitting in the usual operators seat in the vehiicle, may control the motorfof'i'th'e vehicle for propelling the boat, Means is provided to'ste'er the 5 boat by turn- --ing the usual steeringwheelof the vehicle. To this end, there is mountedat' the rear of the boat,"a pair of substantiallyparallel," vertical rods carrying rudders 8 l, at their lower ends, located outside of the boat. Connected to each "rod Si! is an arm 8!. Arms 8| are interconnecte ed by a connectingrod 82. Located Within the tank are pulleys-84 disposed onoppo'site sides of V for the purpose hereinafter ap- Fixed to tierod 85;of the steering gear, is a bracket $36. Mounted on wall l8, below the front :axle, are pulleys 81, and mounted within thetank, below the top wall [3, are pulleys 88. Attached to bracket 86 is a cable 89 passing over one ofthe pulleys 81, then down through an of the Vehicle. 1 e

opening in the top wall l8 of the tank, around one of the pulleys 88, and then diagonally to the opposite tank, and around one of the pulleys 84, said cable then being connected to one of the arms 8|.

A second cable 90 is likewise connected to the bracket 86 and passes around the other pulley 81, down through an opening in the top wall of the tank, around the other pulley 88, and then diagonally across the'tank andaround the other pulley 84, said cable being connected to the other arm 8!.

It will now be understood that a the steering wheel 92 is rotated, the motion is transmitted through the usual steering wheel shaft to the I drag link 93, and to the tie rod 85.

When the tie rod 85 is shifted in one direction, the rudders will be oscillated together in one direction, and when the tie rod is shifted in an opposite direc- 7 tion, the rudders are likewise turned in. an opposite direction. The'boat may thus be steered by the operator sitting in the operators seat in the vehicle.

' It will be'understoo'd that all openings in the 'wallsof the tank ar providedwith leakproof bushings'or packing glands.

" It will thus. be seen that there-is provided a device in which the severalobjects of this inventionare achieved,'andwhich is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

'- *As various possible embodiment might be made of the 'above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above s'et'forth, it is' to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be'interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense Having thus described my inventionQ I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In combination with "a boat, a motor vehicle on the boat, said vehicle having rear axles, means on thelboat to jack up the vehicle on the boat, therear wheels of the vehicle being removed, propelling means on the boat, and means to connect the propelling means to said'rear axles of the vehicle.

vehiclaa rudder on the boat, and means to conn'ect the rudder to "the tierod of the steering gear 3. In combinatiorn a tank, a vehicle thereon having front and rear ends and axles provided with brakedrums, a runway on the tank to guide a vehicle run onto the tank, stop' means on the tank to stop the vehicle in a predetermined po- "sition on the tank, an d means on the tank to jack up the front and rear ends of the Vehicle after-the vehicle hasbeen run onto the tank and stopped bysaid stop means, a pair ofpropeller shafts on the't'ank; apairof propellers on said v propeller shafts, a pair of vertical shafts rotatably mounted on thetank and operatively'connected to said propeller shafts, members attached' to the drums on'the rear axles of the vehicle, and means to connect'said members to said vertical shafts. 1 1 r OTTO H. MILLER. 

